Unifor members give $135,000 to foodbanks

Unifor locals across Canada have made donations to 48 food banks, totalling $135,000 this month.

“I am very proud of our members across the country who dig deep and give generously to make sure their neighbours don’t go hungry this holiday season,” said Jerry Dias, National President.

Cheques ranging from $1,000 to $7,000 have been presented at various community events, from Souris, P.E.I. to Surrey British Columbia, from the union and the Unifor Social Justice Fund.

“The wonderful folks from Unifor delivered a $3,500 cheque to the London Food Bank today. They’ve been helping each year for the last 31 years,” said a tweet from the organization.

Unifor and its predecessor unions have a long history of supporting food banks.

In addition to cash donations, Unifor members also collect food at various events. Just one example is Local 1859 in Tillsonburg, Ontario, collected four truckloads of non-perishable food.

“I am very proud of our members, given two of our units are only working part time hours and two facilities are closing next year, but still they gave,” said Loraine Sinclair, President of Local 1859 which represents 900 automotive and refrigeration workers.

800,000 Canadians use food banks every month, and a third of those users are children according to Food Banks Canada.

Unifor encourages all members and all Canadians to give generously this holiday season.